Aubrieta plant named ‘Audelbley’

ABSTRACT

A new  Aubrieta  plant, characterized particularly as to novelty by the early flowering, the blue flowers with white yellow eye, the broad leaves and the compact growth habit.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Aubrieta hybrida.

Varietal denomination: ‘Audelbley’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new distinct cultivar of Aubrieta, botanically known as Aubrieta hybrida.

The new Aubrieta is a product of a planned breeding program conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new Aubrieta cultivar has a compact growth habit and an early flowering in several colors.

The present cultivar originates from a cross-pollination made in 2001, of a proprietary Aubrieta selection identified as ‘A009,’ not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Aubrieta selection identified as ‘B023,’ not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. A seedling from this cross was selected in 2002.

The present cultivar has been repeatedly asexually reproduced by cuttings in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, in Angers, France, in Gilroy, USA since 2002. The distinctive characteristics of this new Aubrieta are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction. It takes 25 to 29 weeks to produce a finished plant, depending on the temperature.

This new Aubrieta plant is a perennial in all climatical zones in the US.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

This new Aubrieta plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographic drawing of a 28 week old plant which shows blooms, buds and foliage of the plant in full color, the color showing being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctive characteristics of this new Aubrieta. The date which defines these characteristics were collected from asexual reproductions carried out in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The plant history was taken on 35 week old plants, blossomed under natural light in the field.

Color readings were taken in the office under ambient light. Color references are primarily to the R.H.S. Colour Chart of the Royal Horticultural Society of London.

Plants of the new Aubrieta differ primarily from the plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

Plants of the new variety have an early flowering and a compact growth habit, whereas plants of the female parent selection have a late flowering and a loose growth habit.

Plants of the new Aubrieta differ primarily from the plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

Plants of the new variety have blue flowers and an early flowering, whereas plants of the male parent selection have violet flowers and a late flowering.

TABLE 1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW CULTIVAR ‘AUDELBLEY’ AND A SIMILAR CULTIVAR ‘Audelbley’ ‘Kitte’ (Not patented) Earliness Early Late Leaf width 0.9 cm 0.7 cm

-   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—‘A009,’ not patented.         -   Male parent.—‘B023,’ not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—12-14 days at 18° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—5 weeks.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous and white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   General appearance.—Makes long branches that tend to grow             decumbent.         -   Growth and branching habit.—Freely branching habit, freely             flowering. vigorous.         -   Plant height.—5 cm.         -   Plant spread.—22 cm. -   Lateral branches:     -   -   Length.—Primary branch: 8-10 cm. Secondary branch; 3-6 cm.         -   Diameter.—0.15 cm.         -   Texture.—Smooth, pubescent.         -   Internode length.—0.5-2 cm.         -   Color.—RHS 144B. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate.         -   Length, mature leaves.—2 cm.         -   Width, mature leaves.—0.9 cm.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Dentate. Only two dents per leaf.         -   Texture.—Smooth, pubescent.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate. Veins are hardly visible.         -   Color young foliage, upper surface.—RHS 137A.         -   Color young foliage, lower surface.—RHS 138B.         -   Fully expanded foliage, upper surface.—RHS 137A.         -   Fully expanded foliage, lower surface.—RHS 138B.         -   Venation, upper surface.—RHS 142B.         -   Venation, lower surface.—RHS 142B.         -   Petiole.—Absent. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type.—Single, cruciform.         -   Number of flowers and flower buds per lateral branch.—1-5.         -   Flower position.—At top of branch.         -   Fragrance.—Absent.         -   Flowering season.—Spring.         -   Flower diameter.—1.5-2 cm. -   Flower buds:     -   -   Bud length (at stage of showing color).—0.5 cm.         -   Bud diameter.—0.4 cm.         -   Bud shape.—Orbicular.         -   Texture.—Smooth, pubescent.         -   Color, just before opening.—Base: RHS 137A. Apex: RHS 137A             with anthocyanin. -   Petals:     -   -   Shape.—Petal has an elliptic base and an orbicular apex.         -   Quantity.—4 per flower, imbricate.         -   Petal base length.—0.8 cm.         -   Petal base width.—0.2 cm.         -   Petal base margin.—Entire.         -   Petal base texture.—Smooth.         -   Petal base color.—Upper surface: RHS 1C. Lower surface: RHS             1C.         -   Petal apex length.—0.7 cm.         -   Petal apex width.—0.8 cm.         -   Petal apex margin.—Entire.         -   Petal apex texture.—Smooth.         -   Petal apex color.—Immature: Upper surface: RHS N88A. Lower             surface: RHS N88C. Mature: Upper surface: RHS N81A. Lower             surface: RHS N82A. -   The color of the petal base is extended a bit to the petal apex; so     the flower shows a white yellow eye. -   Sepals:     -   -   Quantity.—4 per flower.         -   Shape.—Elliptic.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Length.—0.8 cm.         -   Width.—0.3 cm.         -   Color upper surface.—Immature: RHS 137A with some             anthocyanin. Mature: RHS 137A with very much anthocyanin.         -   Color lower surface.—RHS 138B.         -   Texture upper surface.—Smooth, pubescent.         -   Texture lower surface.—Smooth, glabrous. -   Peduncles:     -   -   Length.—0.7 cm.         -   Diameter.—0.1 cm.         -   Color.—RHS 138A with some anthocyanin.         -   Texture.—Smooth, pubescent. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Androecium.—Stamen number: 6-8, not fused. Filament length:             0.4-0.8 cm. Filament color: RHS 2D. Anther shape: Ovate.             Anther length: 0.2 cm. Anther color: RHS 2B. Color of             pollen: RHS 2A. Amount of pollen: Normal.         -   Gynoecium.—Pistil number. One. Pistil length: 0.6 cm. Stigma             color: RHS 150B. Style color: RHS N144C. Ovary color: RHS             138B. -   Seed development: Seed development has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: No disease/pest resistance has been     observed. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Aubrieta plant named ‘Audelbley,’ as substantially illustrated and described herein. 